Posts Tagged ‘Porsche 911’
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Apr.18, 2013
The Jaguar F-Type V8 S during a first drive in Spain.
There’s an unexpected chill in the air as we head out from our hotel on the outskirts of Pamplona, Spain, dawn still 30 minutes away. Yet despite the early hour, it’s hard to contain the excitement about what’s to come.
It isn’t very often that we get to test a new sports car from the folks at Jaguar. Indeed, the last time the maker launched an all-new one was more than a half-century ago with the groundbreaking E-Type. While there have been tweener cars since then, such as the XK, none has truly targeted the sports car segment. Until now, with the Jaguar F-Type, that is.
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Few new entries have generated more buzz in recent months, and with good reason. The 2-seater comes through with a blend of sensuous yet menacing styling that one would expect from Jaguar. And those good looks are complemented by exhilarating performance and dynamic handling. Is the new F-Type really the “best sports car in the world,” as Jaguar officials have started to boast? Here’s what we discovered during two days of hard driving both on-road and on-track.
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Tags: Porsche 911, Porsche Boxster, auto news, car news, jaguar f-type, jaguar f-type review, jaguar f-type v6, jaguar f-type v6s, jaguar f-type v8 s, jaguar news, jaguar porsche, jaguar reviews, jaguar sports car, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, sports car reviews, thedetroitbureau
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Track performance and on-road manners.
by Joseph Szczesny on Mar.27, 2013
The new Porsche 911 GT3 is getting its U.S. debut at the 2013 NY Auto Show.
Making 475 horsepower, enough to launch from 0 to 60 in just 3.3 seconds, you might be excused for calling the new Porsche 911 GT3 a German muscle car. But the new two-seater is designed to deliver both track performance and on-road manners.
Making its North American debut during the New York International Auto Show, the fifth generation of the 911 GT3 has been completely redesigned from the ground up with both a new engine and transmission, as well as body and chassis, as well as a variety of sophisticated new technologies, such as the new rear axle steering system which Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller says is designed to deliver tighter, even more sure-footed cornering.
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Rated at a top speed of 195 miles per hour, the new GT3 is powered by a 3.8-liter boxer engine that can rev up to a screaming 9,000 RPMs. That required a specially developed Porsche dual-clutch, seven-speed transmission, which drives the rear wheels. The six-cylinder engine is based on the 911 Carrera S six, though the two engines end up sharing only a few common parts.
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Tags: 2013 ny auto show, 2013 nyias, Porsche 911, auto news, car news, german sports cars, joe szczesny, porsche, porsche 911 GT3, porsche news, porsche ny, porsche nyias, sports cars, thedetroitbureau
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Track performance, on-road manners.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Mar.05, 2013
The new Porsche 911 GT3 storms into Geneva.
Pumping out a neck-snapping 475-horsepower, the new Porsche 911 GT3 is designed to deliver track performance and on-road manners.
The fastest and most powerful version of the flagship sports car the German maker has ever introduced, the new GT3 is about more than just raw muscle. It introduces a variety of sophisticated new technologies, including the new rear axle steering system which Porsche CEO Matthias Mueller says is designed to deliver tighter, even more sure-footed cornering.
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The new model handily outperforms any previous 911 on the track, said Muller, though he stressed that the GT3 “is still suitable for everyday use” during a preview at the 2013 Geneva Motor Show.
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Tags: 2013 geneva motor show, 2013 porsche 911 gt3, Porsche 911, auto news, auto shows, car news, car shows, matthias muller, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, porsche 911 GT3, porsche active steering, porsche geneva, porsche news, porsche nurburgring, thedetroitbureau
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by Paul A. Eisenstein on Jan.13, 2013
After a series of delays, Chevrolet is finally ready to roll out the seventh-generation Corvette.
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They were the darkest of days, all the more so in the design studios at General Motors where a small team had been assembled and given the less than humble task of building the world’s best sports car.
True, the Chevrolet Corvette has always been an icon of American design, but this time, Chief Engineer Tadge Juechter and design director Tom Peters had to take things the next step, producing a vehicle that could challenge and beat the best the Germans and Italians could throw at it.
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There was only one problem: the U.S. economy was in meltdown, the automotive market facing its worst downturn in more than half a century and General Motors, rapidly running out of cash, seemed all but certain to declare bankruptcy. And when it did in June 1, 2009, the lights went out. Even with the likelihood of a federal bailout, it was anything but certain the long-awaited C7 Corvette would ever make it to market.
But tonight, at a well-attended ceremony at an old warehouse in a run-down section of Detroit, Juechter and Peters will get the honor of pulling the wraps off a 2014 Chevy Corvette that is already being hailed as the best American sports car of the past half century, perhaps the best ever.
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Tags: 2014 chevrolet corvette, Chevy C7, Porsche 911, american sports cars, auto news, c7 vette, car news, chevrolet news, chevy news, chevy sports car, corvette, corvette c7, corvette ferrari, gm news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, taedge juechter, thedetroitbureau, us sports cars, vette
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One of four new RS models due in 2013.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Dec.06, 2012
Audi's third-generation RS6 Avant will make its debut at the Detroit Auto Show next month.
Audi’s third-generation RS6 Avant will be making its debut at the Detroit Auto Show next month, but the maker has offered up a sneak peek at what will be one of four new RS offerings added to its line-up during 2013.
The new RS6 abandons the old Lamborghini-based V-10 in favor of a new 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 making a significant 552 horsepower. The engine is essentially the same powerplant used by the latest-generation Bentley Continental. And to keep it in the broader Volkswagen AG family while putting things into perspective: the new Audi RS6 Avant is expected to deliver 0 to 100 kmh (0 to 62 mph) times of just 3.9 seconds. The Porsche 911 Carrera S needs 4.5 seconds to get there.
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As the new RS6 will also feature cylinder deactivation – allowing it to shut off four of its eight cylinders when loads are light — it is anticipating better fuel economy than the outgoing model. Also helping drive up mileage, the new Audi performance sedan will weigh in at about 200 pounds less than the old RS6, and it will be outfitted with new Stop/Start technology to shut its engine off instead of wasting gas idling.
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Tags: 2013 detroit auto show, Audi RS6, Audi RS6 Avant, Porsche 911, audi avant, audi detroit auto show, audi news, audi performance, audi quattro, audi rs, auto news, car news, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, thedetroitbureau
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More muscle, better mileage.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Nov.29, 2012
Lighter, longer and wider - as well as more powerful and fuel-efficient - the 2013 Porsche Cayman.
Porsche intends to extend its winning strike as it launches an all-new update of its smallest sports coupe, the Cayman, which made its first public appearance during a well-attended debut at the LA Auto Show.
Like the similarly sized Boxster roadster, the 2013 Porsche Cayman is lighter and sleeker, with a longer wheelbase and wider track designed to enhance both its visual appearance and its road manners. Porsche engineers also have pulled off the seemingly impossible, as they did with several other recent models, not only boosting performance but squeezing out significantly better mileage.
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“The new version is lighter, more powerful and more fuel-efficient than ever,” said Matthias Mueller, CEO of the Stuttgart-based maker – which effectively became part of the growing Volkswagen AG empire this year.
The 2013 Porsche Cayman S can launch from 0 to 100 kmh (62 mph) in barely 4.7 seconds.
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Tags: 2012 LA auto show, 2013 Porsche Cayman, Porsche 911, Porsche Boxster, auto news, car news, german sports cars, matthias mueller, matthias muller, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, porsche cayman, porsche cayman s, porsche la auto show, porsche news, thedetroitbureau
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Can a little car command a big price tag?
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Oct.25, 2012
Chevrolet will soon put the Sonic Dusk into production - but will buyers pay the premium?
With the exception of a few exotic sports cars, Americans typically measure the worth of an automobile by the inch and pound. But Chevrolet is hoping to get U.S. buyers to rethink that attitude with the new Chevy Sonic Dusk.
The concept vehicle, set for a formal debut at the upcoming SEMA aftermarket show in Las Vegas, is “designed to bring a higher degree of sophistication and refinement to the subcompact segment,” the maker explains.
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The maker promises the Dusk model will soon reappear in production form. Chevrolet isn’t the only maker to try moving small cars up-market. Mini has done a good job at de-coupling the link between size and price and Fiat had a modest success when it issued the recent Gucci edition of its little 500 hatchback.
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Tags: Porsche 911, auto news, car news, chevrolet news, chevrolet sonic, chevrolet sonic dusk, chevy sonic, chevy sonic dusk, luxury small car, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, premium small cars, sema show, thedetroitbureau
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by Paul A. Eisenstein on Oct.01, 2012
Porsche adds all-wheel-drive to the 911 line.
One thing you can expect from Porsche is to see a steady roll-out of new variants for key models like the flagship 911 Carrera introduced barely a year ago. And the latest version is making its formal debut at this year’s Paris Motor Show.
While the maker put the media spotlight on the unveiling of its Panamera Sport Turismo, it’s the new Porsche 911 Carrera 4 and 4S models that are drawing admiring glances from consumers as the show opens to the public.
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Beyond the new badge, the visual differences are subtle but nonetheless significant, the all-wheel-drive version of the Porsche 911 featuring rear haunches that have been widened by nearly an inch. There’s also a new, illuminated crossbar element sandwiched between the taillamps. Meanwhile, the tires on both the Coupe and Convertible 911 4 models are about 10 millimeters wider than those on the two-wheel-drive edition.
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Tags: 2012 paris motor show, Porsche 911, Porsche 911 Carrera 4, auto news, auto shows, car news, car shows, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, porsche 911 Carrera 4S, porsche all-wheel-drive, porsche carrera, porsche news, porsche paris, thedetroitbureau
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All-wheel-drive, even higher performance versions likely to follow – but forget diesel.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on Sep.26, 2012
Jaguar reveals what could be its most important new model in six decades, the F-Type.
Only the Brits would come to Paris to unveil a new convertible in the pouring rain. But Jaguar is hoping that the soggy send-off for the new F-Type sports car won’t dampen the reception for the long-awaited “spiritual successor” to the legendary Jaguar E-Type.
The new F-Type will get its official debut on Thursday, during the opening press day of the 2012 Paris Motor Show. The maker offered relatively few details about the new sports car during the Wednesday sneak peek, but TheDetroitBureau.com has gotten an inside look at Jaguar’s ambitious plans – which include a range of additional F-Type variants that will come to market during the new model’s likely 6- to 8-year lifecycle.
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Among other things, expect to see even more powerful versions of the Jaguar F-Type than the 495-horsepower supercharged V-8 that will reach showrooms early next year. An all-wheel-drive model may very well be in the works, TheDetroitBureau.com learned, though a diesel model is not in the cards.
Meanwhile, Jaguar hopes to capture as much as 10% of the global sports car market, Andy Goss, CEO of Jaguar-Land Rover North America revealed, in part by pricing the new F-Type between the Porsche Boxster and 911 models.
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Tags: 2012 paris motor show, Porsche 911, Porsche Boxster, adrian hallmark, auto news, auto shows, car news, car shows, jaguar e-type, jaguar f-type, jaguar news, jaguar paris, jaguar sports car, paul a. eisenstein, paul eisenstein, ratan tata, thedetroitbureau
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Makers sidestep crisis in Europe.
by Paul A. Eisenstein on May.04, 2012
New products, like the M6 and 6-Series Grand Coupe, shown here at their Geneva debut, are driving record sales and earnings.
Despite the worsening economic crisis in Europe there was good news for two of the Continent’s most exclusive automotive manufacturers – BMW, in particular posting all-time record earnings for the first quarter.
Porsche, meanwhile, saw its own operating profit for the January to March quarter surge “only” 18% — that driven by strong demand for the Cayenne SUV despite near-record fuel prices in the key U.S. market and other parts of the world.
It was difficult to find anything that didn’t work out well for BMW during the first quarter – after the maker captured the luxury sales crown both in the U.S. and on the worldwide market in 2011. The first-quarter net profit was up 18% compared to year-earlier figures, to 1.34 billion euros, while pre-tax earnings were up 22%, to 2.08 billion euros. The maker’s EBIT, or Earnings Before Interest and Taxes, rose 19%, to 2.13 billion. And revenues jumped 14%, to 18.29 billion euros.
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“We have recorded the best first-quarter figures ever — for sales volume, revenues and earnings — in the BMW Group’s corporate history,” said Norbert Reithofer, chairman of BMW’s management board, in a statement from the maker’s Munich headquarters.
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Tags: BMW 3-Series, BMW M6, BMW sales, Porsche 911, Porsche Cayenne, auto news, bmw 6 gran coupe, bmw earnings, bmw news, bmw profit, bmw reithofer, car news, paul a. eisentein, paul eisenstein, porsche earnings, porsche news, porsche profit, thedetroitbureau
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